The present invention relates generally to clamps. More particularly, the present invention relates to clamps used to seal lap joints of a vehicle exhaust system.
There are many applications where it is desirable to connect two conduits (e.g., tubes, pipes, flexible hose, ducts, etc.) together. One common application is vehicle exhaust systems. In vehicle exhaust systems, two conduits are often connected at a xe2x80x9clap joint.xe2x80x9d A xe2x80x9clap jointxe2x80x9d is formed by inserting the end of one conduit into the end of another conduit such that the ends overlap one another. A clamp is then placed around the overlapped ends of the conduits. The clamp preferably functions to seal the lap joint and to mechanically connect the two conduits together such that the two conduits are prevented from being pulled apart.
Numerous patents exist relating to clamps used for vehicle exhaust systems. Some example patents relating to this field include U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,526 to Cassel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,720 to Cassel, U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,659 to Wagner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,574 to Wagner et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,083 to Gillingham et al.
The present invention relates to clamps for sealing lap joints that include fastening arrangements having fasteners that extend through sealing bars and outer reinforcing bars.
A variety of advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restricted.